Readers will recall that one of the races that broke my heart last fall was Nick Popaditch’s unsuccessful bid to unseat longtime California Democrat Bob Filner.

Now there’s a healthy chance that if Popaditch wants to run again, he may be running for an open seat:

Congressman Bob Filner has joined the 2012 race for San Diego mayor, seeking to run the city in which his political career began and becoming the first Democrat in a growing field of candidates.

Filner, 68, a former San Diego school board and City Council member, said he’s running because of his frustration with the inability of current and past city leaders to solve San Diego’s fiscal woes . . .

Filner is the fourth major candidate to enter the race following three Republicans: City Councilman Carl DeMaio, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, and state Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher. They’ll square off in a June 5, 2012, primary and, if no one wins more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers would compete in a November runoff to determine the replacement for termed-out Mayor Jerry Sanders.

I hear Popaditch’s supporters are strongly urging him to make another bid in 2012.